Adjustable chair



P 1935- L. BLUMENTHAL 2,015,335

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR Filed Oct. 10, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z 012/3B/umenf/Ia/ INVENTOR BY ,4 l/wnq ORNEY S P 1935. L, BLUMENTHAL 2,015,335

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR Filed Oct. 10, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [0013 B/arhemha/INVENTQR A ORNEY Patented Sept. 24, 1935 I UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicEIADJUSTABLE cnam Inuis Blumenthal, Brooklyn. iv. r. Application ombu- 10,1934, Serial No. 747.015

7 Claims.

The main object of my invention is the provision of a chair of the typereferred to which will automatically adjust itself to any position ofthe body. In other words, in no matter what position the user disposeshis body in the chair, according to my invention, the back of the chairwill automatically go into position to support his back.

Another object of my invention is-the provision, in a chair of thecharacter described, of a footrest which may be folded under the seatwhen the user desires to sit in upright position.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a chair of thecharacter described which can be folded into a flat, compact bundle witha minimum of effort.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear from thefollowing detailed description of the accompanying drawings in whichFig. 1 is a perspective view of the chair with the parts adjusted tositting position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the chair with the parts arranged insemi-reclining position shown in full lines and the parts arranged inupright sitting position shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the chair with the parts arranged in the mannershown in full lines in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the chair in folded position.

Referring to the drawings in detail I and 2 are leg members pivotedtogether at 3 and provided with spacing bars 4. The legs bearing numeralI are the outside legs and are provided with a cross piece 5 whichserves to limit the movement of legs I and 2 with respect to each other.

Pivoted at the upper ends of legs I is a seat6 having a rigid frame anda center I which can be solid, cane or a flexible material such ascanvas, or any other suitable fabric and is shown in the drawings as afabric. v

The frame 8 of the back has its lower end pivoted on legs 2 at 9 whichis apoint intermediate pivot 3 and the upper ends of legs 2. The upperend of each of the legs 2 is connected to the corresponding side memberof frame 8 at a point intermediate its ends by a sliding connectionwhich, in the modification shown, consists of a strip of metal l havingone of its ends pivoted at the upper end of a leg 2 and having alongitudinal slot II in which rides a pin l2 projecting from the side ofa side member of frame 8. The back supporting portion II of the back inthe modification shown is composed of fabric and is a continuation ofthe fabric of seat 6. One end of this fabric is connected to theunderside of the inner end of the seat frame 6, is then drawn upwardlyand forwardly over the seat frame and back under the seat frame, thenupwardly to a cross piece ll of the back frame 8 to which it is secured.The object of this con- 10 struction is to provide a flexible connectionbetween the seat and the back frame. As is apparent, this can beaccomplished as readily by constructing the back of a separate piece offlexible material attached to the cross piece It and connected to theframework of the seat. or the back can be a piece of solid materialswingingly mounted on'the cross piece i4 and connected to the rear endof the seat by flexible material. This construction would, of course,necessitate a slightly different method of folding the chair.

Hinged to the front end of framework 6 of the seat is a foot rest l5 ofany desired construction. Near the outer end of the foot rest is hingeda supporting frame It which, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, may befolded up under the foot rest which, in turn, may be folded under seat 6and held out of the way by spacing bar 4 between the legs 2. I

Pivoted at the upper end of each leg 2 is an arm l1. Pivotally connectedto each arm I'I at a point intermediate its ends and to thecorresponding leg I at a point intermediate the pivot 3 and the upperend of the leg I is a link i8, the purpose of which is to support thearms I! in position when the chair is in use and to cause the arms I! tomove in the proper direction when it is desired to fold the chair.

By reason of the novel manner in which the back is connected to the seatand to the sup- 40 porting legs, the seat and the back will closelyfollow the movements of the body of the user. If the user is sitting inan upright position and desires to recline, the very movement of thebody necessary in changing from sitting to reclining position causes theback and the seat to move relatively to each other into recliningposition. In other words, the position of the parts is determined by thecenter of gravity of the body and will shift as that center of gravityshifts in the movements of the body from one position to another.

A very important advantage inherent in the above described chair is theease with which it can be folded into a flat, compact bundle. With thechair in the position shown in Fig. 2, it is merely necessary to foldsupporting member II up against foot rest I, then lift up the inner endof the seat frame 8 with one hand, place the other hand on the upper endof leg 2 and bring the hands together.

Another way to fold the chair is to fold supporting member Ii under footrest I, then put one hand under the inner end of seat frame 6, the otherhand under the outer end of foot rest l5, lift the two as a unit,.tiltthe chair backwardiy, using the lower end of leg I as a fulcrum untilthe upper ends of the legs 2 rest on the ground together with the upperends of the legs I, and then press downwardly with both hands, keepingfoot rest I! and seat frame 6 in the same plane. Of course, to open thechair the reverse of either of the above series of operations willsuffice.

While I have illustrated my novel arrangement of a chair seat and backwhich are capable of following the movements of the body in connectionwith a folding chair, it is apparent that this construction can bereadily adapted to non-folding chairs, so long as the particular methodof mounting the seat and the back and the particular relation betweenthese parts are preserved.

Although I have described my improvements with. considerable detail andwith respect to a certain particular form of my invention, I do notdesire to be limited to such details since many changes andmodifications may well be made without departing from the spirit andscope of my invention in its broadest aspect.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A folding chair comprising a pair of inner legs and a pair of outerlegs, each inner leg being pivoted to its adjacent outer leg at a pointintermediate their ends, stop means for said legs, a seat pivotallymounted between the upper ends of one of said pairs of legs, a backframe having its lower portion fixedly pivotally connected to the otherof said pairs of legs adjacent the upper portions thereof and having aportion intermediate its ends connected to said last named pair of legsby means providing for limited movement of said back frame relative tosaid last named legs and means running from the rear portion of saidseat to the upper portion of said back frame comprising a flexiblemember whereby movement of one of the said seat or back frame causesmovement of the other.

2. A folding chair comprising a pair of inner legs and a pair of outerlegs, each inner leg being pivoted to its adjacent outer leg ata pointintermediate their ends, stop means for said legs, a seat having theportion adjacent itsfront end pivotally mounted on the upper ends of theouter legs, a back frame having its lower end pivotally connected tosaid inner legs at a point between their upper ends and the point wherethey are pivoted to the outer legs, a sliding connection between theupper ends of said inner legs and 15 the back frame at a pointintermediate its ends and a flexible connection between the rear portionof said seat-and the upper portion of said back frame.

3. A folding chair according to the preceding 20 claim in which theflexible connection between the seat and the back frame is a strip offabric.

4. A folding chair according to claim 2 in which the flexible connectionbetween the seat and the back frame is connected to the rear end of the25. seat and the upper end of the back frame.

5. A folding chair according to claim 2 in which the sliding connectionbetween the inner legs and the back frame comprises on each side of saidback frame a strip of metal having one of its ends pivoted to the upperend of one of said legs, a slot in said strip of metal and a studprojecting from said back frame and adapted to ride in said slot. M

6. A folding chair according to claim 2 having a foot rest swingablyconnected to the front end of the seat and having supporting meanswhereby said foot rest may be moved from a position in continuation ofthe seat to a position underneath the seat.

'I. A folding chair according to claim 2 having a pair of arms each ofwhich has one of its ends pivotally connected to the upper end of one ofthe inner legs and a link having one of its ends pivotally connected tosaid arm at a point intermediate its ends and its other end pivotallyconnected to one of said outer legs at a point between its upper end andthe point at which it is pivoted to the adjacent inner leg.

LOUIS BLUMEN'I'HAL.

